Well, I decided the "beverage dispenser" would be the best choice, since I was worried about the inherent spillage that comes with the punch bowls. So I went off and found myself these perfect (i.e. CHEAP) containers on ebay that I thought would work well:

PS... I totally recommend the seller... he was great, and the containers arrived really quickly, they looked great, and I know I will use them again!

So after I got the jars in the mail (and unpacked them, sending Styrofoam pellets All.Through.My.House) I proceeded to DIY 'em making labels...

I had brown cardstock in my craft supply, and some left over ribbon from my guest book table sign (stay tuned!), and since I had a font I was loving, I quickly printed off some signage. I made a couple slices in the cardstock to weave the ribbon through:

And then glued the label over top the ribbon to keep everything in place:

And tied the ribbon around the jar:

The cocktail that would go in to the containers was a drink that my hubs coined when he took a bartending course. He called it the Kjearsy Royale (incorporating his last name), and we also made a virgin drink for the non-drinkers and kidlets. The signs read:

"KJEARSY ROYALE: created by the groom in the mid-90's... yours to enjoy today!"

and

"VIRGIN KJEARSY: as close as it gets to the real deal... refreshing for everyone".

Cute right?!

Now, I am no dummy, I know that turning a little spigot, holding a glass, and balancing a camera, a wedding program, maybe a purse, and perhaps a plate of munchies would not necessarily be the easiest thing in the world, so I suggested to my caterer that I have a couple of my friend's daughters help out. She assured me that she would have it under control during cocktail hour, and to let ALL my guests just kick back and have fun. So... I trusted her. Well, without going in to too much detail... the caterer quite simply overestimated her capabilities for the entire evening, and needless to say, the cocktail station was NOT manned by ANYONE, and the guests were left to operate these beauties on their own. Not the end of the world right?! hahaha... well, there is a reason I don't have any pics of these guys in action.

At one point during cocktail hour (before I escaped of course!), I was chatting with one of our guests when he sort of jumped and gasped... I looked to see what he was reacting to, and there was signature cocktail pouring all over the floor. He said to me... "it looks like the end cap came off, and like the drink is pouring all over the floor?!". I smiled and nodded, and said, "Oh well, hopefully the staff will clean it up, cause I am not saving this one!!".

So, the moral of the story is two-fold: firstly, as great as the drink containers are, make sure the spigot has a safety stop on it, cause not everyone can remember the ol' "righty-tighty, lefty-loosey" bit; and secondly, TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS!! If you think you need to recruit someone to help (yes, even to help your paid professionals), DO IT!! Our caterer was simply NOT prepared/capable to execute all the tasks she assured me she would take care of.

It was funny though!! And I still love our containers!! The funniest part: the spigot didn't just drop to the floor... the pressure of the drink actually made it shoot out across the room... and LAND IN SOMEONE ELSE's DRINK!!! hahahaha... ok, we were lucky it didn't hit anyone in the eye... but... hahahhaha... it really was kinda hilarious!!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Alright ladies, this might make some of you uncomfortable... kinda how our cocktail hour made me feel. BUT, you know the rules around here... you only get the straight up real-deal kinda wedding stuff here!

So, a bit of background... like MANY brides, we chose to do a first look so that we could have more TIME for photos, have a later ceremony that would flow right in to cocktail hour and the reception (I mean come on, we were getting married up on a mountain, it's not like there was a lounge that our guests could go wet their tongues at in between the ceremony and reception while we got our pictures taken!), and so we could mingle at our our own cocktail hour...

WELL, my sister, the perfect big sis that she is, warned me that the cocktail hour might not go as I had envisioned... something like this:

sis: "why do you want to go to your cocktail hour?"me: "well, you know, so I have more time to visit with our guests..."sis: "uhhh, ya, that's what I thought, but it doesn't really happen like that!"me: "whatcha talking about?"sis: "well, at our cocktail hour no one even talked to me?!"me: "but EVERYONE wants to talk to the bride?!"sis: "all I'm sayin is be prepared to kinda feel like a 'pink elephant' that no one wants to talk to!"me: "that's ridiculous!!"

So, after our ceremony, we went outside, took a big ol' group photo, some family photos, and then we re-assembled upstairs for cocktail hour.

SIDENOTE: We had planned on having cocktails out on the balcony, but due to the weather inconsistencies, my invisible wedding fairies some how made it happen back upstairs where the wedding had just happened?! Seriously, I don't even know how this happened, BUT, while I was outside getting a few family pictures taken, my amazing friends/families/wedding fairies dismantled the ceremony site, finished the reception set-up (ie. ceremony chairs doubled as reception chairs!!), and assembled the cocktail hour upstairs... yep, AMAZING peeps I had on my side!!

So upstairs I went... expecting to be greeted by a lineup of excited guests to talk to the bride.... although the room was abuzz with chatter, laughs, hugs, and stories, I felt like I could here a pin drop. My sister was right, it was like I wasn't even there? At one point a grabbed a great friend of mine, and side, "heh, what's the deal, how come you're not coming to get a hug from me?!", and he just had the dazed look on his face and said, "you just look too beautiful, I don't even know what to do". Um what? Ladies, I am not tooting my own horn here... this was literally his excuse for not talking to me... and this friend is a TALKER and loves to chat my ear off?! I told him to stop being ridiculous, but the point was made... I was the pink elephant in the middle of the room... only I was a bride... wearing white...

Looking at the photos, it was clear everyone was having fun...

My mom was making the rounds...

As were my girls...

Yep, and my husband was doing the mingle... But seriously... not a single picture of the bride during cocktail hour?! Not that I care about the pics, it's just the proof in the puddin. To be perfectly honest, at one point, one of my girls, JB, came up to me and said "heh, how are you doing?" to which I replied... "seriously, no one is even talking to me... I'm not feeling it!". Being the AWESOME maid that she is, she looked me dead in the eye and said "wanna get outta here?"... HELL YES! The two of us went and sat in one of the suites in the lodge and had a glass of wine... BLISS!! Quiet, no pressure to mingle, we got to chillax and forget about our posture, and we got to LAUGH!!

Now don't get me wrong, it's not that I hate mingling... sometimes I actually love it! BUT, it really wasn't the vibe I was going for. I didn't want to have to "work the crowd"... I wanted laid back COOL! But apparently, right after a wedding ceremony, a bride in white doesn't exactly elicit a 'laid back cool' kinda vibe. I was glad my sis had warned me though, so that when I was confronted with this feeling of loneliness it didn't shock the crap outta me. I just thought to myself... "ohhh, this is what CC was talking about!".

anyone else out there feel LONELY during their cocktail hour?! Come on... it feels good to admit it! OR, if you loved your cocktail hour, maybe you can help us out and let us know what we did wrong...

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Hi all!! Hope everyone has been enjoying the summer days (we've been hearing a tonne about the heat wave that went through the East... but it's been ch-ch-chilly here in the West?!). The hubs and I are coming up to that infamous 1 year mark (what??), and remembering the utter craziness of last year at this time (thesis, wedding, thesis, thesis, thesis, wedding) makes me so happy and grateful that this year is a bit more normal!!

But, that doesn't mean I don't still LOVE an amazing wedding shoot, and this morning I was BLOWN AWAY by the most recent work of our photogs, Kevan and Duane of [6:8] Photography. They had a GORGEOUS couple, and a truly spectacular backdrop in Lake Louise, AB.

Here are a few of my favorites, but seriously, I know you want the link, cause you will want to see this entire wedding, so after looking at em here, head on over to feast your eyes on all the beauty!!